Sport and Exercise Psychology

This module will focus on the development of the competencies and skills necessary for exercise and sport professionals to carry out informed practice.

This module will extend your knowledge and understanding of the research process and develops your ability to carry out ethically sound, independent research and critically appraise research literature. It will also focus on the introduction to, and practice application of, a number of analytical methods found in quantitative and qualitative research.

The aim of this module is to examine the relationship between emotion, cognition and performance in sport and exercise settings. Relevant theoretical positions are considered and applications drawn for sport and exercise practitioners. On successful completion of this module, you'll be able to identify and critique the major methodological issues relevant to the measurement of cognition and emotion in sport and exercise. The module will look at the effects of anxiety on cognitive processes underpinning performance in sport and exercise. Furthermore, you'll evaluate critically the strengths and weaknesses of selected theoretical models linking emotion, cognition and performance. 

This module examines a range of social factors that affect the behaviour and performance of individuals and groups in sport and exercise contexts and investigates the impact of the group on an individual’s motivation and performance. The module examines key elements of the psychology of the group through a critical review of literature from sport and exercise psychology, mainstream social psychology and organisational behaviour. Research methods in the social psychology of sport and exercise are also examined, as well as ethical issues in research and applied work. Specific applications to various sport and exercise contexts and links to individual motivation are made throughout. 

This module will allow you to explore central and peripheral psychophysiological systems and examine critically their application to sport and exercise psychology. This is a very practical module that will give you some practical experience of measurement techniques like eye-tracking, MRI, EEG, TMS and ECG to understand how these technologies work, what they can tell us about human performance and how they can be applied to facilitate performance enhancement. 

The module introduces key issues in sport and exercise psychology research and applied practice, providing foundational masters level knowledge and skills in this subject. The module examines some of the key concepts underlying the study of human behaviour that are of particular importance to those working in sport and exercise psychology, and the strengths and weaknesses of different research approaches in psychology. It then explores the regulatory, legal and ethical issues in sport and exercise psychology, with particular reference to the role of the British Psychological Society. You'll examine the various general approaches employed by sport and exercise psychologists, with particular reference to decision-making processes and needs analysis. 

This module will explore the multidisciplinary considerations for the preparation, training and consulting of diverse populations in sport. You'll explore physiological, biomechanical, psychological, health, and social considerations relevant to working with different population groups, for example young athletes, women, elderly, clinical conditions, para-athletes and community sports participants.

This module explores important considerations when working with clients in sport and exercise psychology. Specifically, ethical issues, models of needs analysis, decision making skills and cognitive biases and heuristics, assessment methods and principles underlying effective applied techniques will be examined. Client case studies will be examined and students will have the opportunity to practice key consultancy skills, including interviewing and planning and delivering psychological skills. 

The aim of this module is to design, conduct and communicate a major piece of independent research related to sport and exercise science.